I recently received a message through facebook from a former student. (Some of you may be surprised to learn I was a high school English teacher for four years between undergrad and seminary.) He had read this article about our work with Chestnut United Methodist Church and New Light, which was recently published by The United Methodist Reporter -- first in their online version, The United Methodist Portal, and soon to be published in their print version, in the October 31 issue.
Here's the message I received, and my response. It seems to me this is a very typical perspective of young adults.
----------------------
The message:
Hi, Allen -
I read the article about the great work that you and Sara are doing, and I have to say, you never cease to amaze me! This is so right up your alley, it sounds like year 'round Camp Mechuwana for adults!
As a new father, faith has been on my mind a lot lately. Although I have not been a part of institutional christianity for over 10 years, I really began to understand after meeting with the pastor who married us last year how I live my faith and spirituality on my sleeves each day. The compassionate work, respect for human life and even fellowship that I have participated in through the [nonprofit organization he works for] over the years is quite comparable to the work of New Light.
Although we are not churchgoers, [wife] and I have made the decision to have [new baby son] baptized by the church where she grew up, which happens to be Lutheran (the same church that married us). I have felt somewhat conflicted as I feel that I live my life in the ideals of the Judeo-Christian model, and intend to pass these ideals on to my son, but have a lingering mistrust of conventional Christianity institutions.
I find it encouraging to know that there are progressive faith communities out there appealing to a new generation of compassionate people. I wish you and Sara continued success in your ministry.
----------------------
My response:
[Name], you are just too cool. And I think what you said could be echoed by millions of young adults, Sara and I included (although whether I'm still considered young is debatable). We were meeting with this couple the other day, and they asked, "What made you want to do this?" The best answer I could come up with was "dissatisfaction with the church." And I'm a pastor! I've devoted my life to this work. What does that say?
I totally get where you're coming from, and you and [wife] are the kind of people we're connecting with in Portland -- people who either have no church experience but feel a nudge to explore Christian spirituality, or who grew up in the church and became disillusioned, or who've been wounded by the institutional/conservative church in the past (and there are many of those). We're trying to offer something that's totally different -- an experience of church that's not about maintaining an institution, that's not about showing up for the weekly event one hour on Sundays, that's all about building community and making a difference in the world.
I think the work you're doing with [nonprofit organization] (which I'd like to hear more about, by the way) connects very well with the ideals we're trying to cultivate and nurture. I think it's awesome that you're doing that.
I don't know much about what's happening in [your state], but I do know that communities like the one we're creating here in Portland are popping up all over the country -- a "postmodern" response to that mistrust of conventional Christian institutions that you talked about. Often these communities are connected with a loose, grass-roots, organic network called "emerging church," and often they are socially progressive (as we are); but because it's such an organic movement, nothing can be said universally. Anyway, if I hear of anything happening in your area, I'll let you know. At some point in your life, you may feel like you want to explore church more deeply, if you could find one that's the right fit.
In the meantime... hey, it's great to be reconnected. Facebook is awesome for that. Congratulations, again! Fatherhood is pretty amazing, isn't it? Keep in touch, and make sure you let me know if you're ever back in Maine.
----------------
What do you think about this message and my response?
1 comment:
Pretty amazing to read this while I work through Robert Wuthnow's book "After the Boomers." The "young" person who wrote to you typifies much of the thinking out there regarding spirituality and the church. In fact, 85% of the population doesn't think being connected to a church is necessary for spiritual growth. Of course, being connected to many churches IS actually detrimental to one's spirituality.
I liked your response - keeping the conversation open, encouraging him where he is at, and challenging him to keep stretching - even to keep his mind open to the possibility of finding a church that would help him grow as a person of faith.
Post a Comment